diff --git a/packages/core/src/files.ccmod.ts b/packages/core/src/files.ccmod.ts
index f3d5973..faae30e 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/files.ccmod.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/files.ccmod.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { type Unzipped, unzipSync } from 'fflate/browser';
-import { addFetchHandler } from './service-worker-bridge';
+import { setFetchHandler } from './service-worker-bridge';
 import * as files from './files';
 
 const fileMap = new Map<string, Unzipped>();
@@ -62,6 +62,8 @@ export async function loadCCMods(ccmods: string[]): Promise<void> {
     }),
   );
 
+  // from my limited testing unzipSync is about 50ms faster (unzipSync takes 150ms)
+  // compared to asynchronous unzip ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
   // console.time('uncompress');
   const uncompressed = ccmodArrayBuffers.map((buf) => unzipSync(buf));
   // console.timeEnd('uncompress');
@@ -72,5 +74,5 @@ export async function loadCCMods(ccmods: string[]): Promise<void> {
     fileMap.set(modDir, buf);
   }
 
-  addFetchHandler(ccmods, readFile);
+  setFetchHandler(ccmods, readFile);
 }
diff --git a/packages/core/src/service-worker-bridge.ts b/packages/core/src/service-worker-bridge.ts
index 7a9b477..697c879 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/service-worker-bridge.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/service-worker-bridge.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,72 @@
+export namespace ServiceWorker {
+  // Messages send to the service worker
+  export namespace Outgoing {
+    export interface ValidPathPrefixesPacket {
+      type: 'ValidPathPrefixes';
+      validPathPrefixes: string[];
+    }
+
+    export interface DataPacket {
+      type: 'Data';
+      path: string;
+      data: BodyInit | null;
+    }
+
+    export type Packet = ValidPathPrefixesPacket | DataPacket;
+  }
+  // Messages coming from the service worker
+  export namespace Incoming {
+    export interface PathPacket {
+      type: 'Path';
+      path: string;
+    }
+    export interface ValidPathPrefixesRequestPacket {
+      type: 'ValidPathPrefixesRequest';
+    }
+
+    export type Packet = PathPacket | ValidPathPrefixesRequestPacket;
+  }
+}
+
+export type FetchHandler = (path: string) => Promise<ArrayBufferLike | null>;
+
+let fetchHandler: FetchHandler | undefined;
+let validPathPrefixes: string[] = [];
+
+function sendServiceWorkerMessage(packet: ServiceWorker.Outgoing.Packet): void {
+  const { controller } = window.navigator.serviceWorker;
+  controller?.postMessage(packet);
+}
+
+export function setFetchHandler(pathPrefixes: string[], handler: FetchHandler): void {
+  fetchHandler = handler;
+  validPathPrefixes = pathPrefixes.map((path) => `/${path}/`);
+  sendServiceWorkerMessage({ type: 'ValidPathPrefixes', validPathPrefixes });
+}
+
+function setMessageHandling(): void {
+  navigator.serviceWorker.onmessage = async (event) => {
+    const packet: ServiceWorker.Incoming.Packet = event.data;
+    let responsePacket: ServiceWorker.Outgoing.Packet;
+
+    if (packet.type === 'Path') {
+      const { path } = packet;
+      responsePacket = {
+        type: 'Data',
+        path,
+        data:
+          (await fetchHandler?.(path).catch((e) => {
+            console.error(`error while handing fetch of ${path}:`, e);
+          })) ?? null,
+      };
+    } else {
+      responsePacket = { type: 'ValidPathPrefixes', validPathPrefixes };
+    }
+
+    sendServiceWorkerMessage(responsePacket);
+  };
+}
+
 export async function loadServiceWorker(): Promise<ServiceWorker> {
   const currentRegistration = await window.navigator.serviceWorker.getRegistration();
   if (currentRegistration) {
@@ -20,53 +89,7 @@ export async function loadServiceWorker(): Promise<ServiceWorker> {
   }
 
   setMessageHandling();
-  updateServiceWorkerValidPathPrefixes();
+  sendServiceWorkerMessage({ type: 'ValidPathPrefixes', validPathPrefixes });
 
   return controller;
 }
-
-function sendServiceWorkerMessage(packet: unknown): void {
-  const { controller } = window.navigator.serviceWorker;
-  controller?.postMessage(packet);
-}
-
-export type FetchHandler = (path: string) => Promise<ArrayBufferLike | null>;
-const fetchHandlers: FetchHandler[] = [];
-const validPathPrefixes: string[] = [];
-
-function updateServiceWorkerValidPathPrefixes(): void {
-  sendServiceWorkerMessage(validPathPrefixes.map((path) => `/${path}`));
-}
-
-export function addFetchHandler(pathPrefixes: string[], handler: FetchHandler): void {
-  fetchHandlers.unshift(handler);
-  validPathPrefixes.push(...pathPrefixes);
-  updateServiceWorkerValidPathPrefixes();
-}
-
-export interface ServiceWorkerPacket {
-  path: string;
-  data: BodyInit | null;
-}
-
-function setMessageHandling(): void {
-  navigator.serviceWorker.onmessage = async (event) => {
-    const path: string = event.data;
-
-    let data: ArrayBufferLike | null = null;
-    for (const handler of fetchHandlers) {
-      try {
-        data = await handler(path);
-      } catch (e) {
-        console.error(`error while handing fetch of ${path}:`, e);
-      }
-      if (data) break;
-    }
-
-    const packet: ServiceWorkerPacket = {
-      path,
-      data,
-    };
-    sendServiceWorkerMessage(packet);
-  };
-}
diff --git a/packages/core/src/service-worker.ts b/packages/core/src/service-worker.ts
index aa4d3c5..3b72429 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/service-worker.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/service-worker.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import type { ServiceWorkerPacket } from './service-worker-bridge';
+import type { ServiceWorker } from './service-worker-bridge';
 
 self.addEventListener('activate', () => {
   void self.clients.claim();
@@ -23,24 +23,64 @@ function contentType(url: string): string {
   return CONTENT_TYPES[url.substring(url.lastIndexOf('.') + 1)] || 'text/plain';
 }
 
-async function post(data: unknown): Promise<void> {
+const cacheName = 'ccmod-service-worker-cache';
+
+function getCacheKey(key: string): string {
+  return `https://${key}`;
+}
+
+async function storeInCache<T extends object>(key: string, value: T): Promise<void> {
+  const cache = await caches.open(cacheName);
+  const response = new Response(JSON.stringify(value), {
+    headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
+  });
+  await cache.put(getCacheKey(key), response);
+}
+
+async function getFromCache<T extends object>(key: string): Promise<T | null> {
+  const cache = await caches.open(cacheName);
+  const response = await cache.match(getCacheKey(key));
+  if (!response) return null;
+  return await response.json();
+}
+
+const validPathPrefixesCacheKey = 'validPathPrefixes';
+
+async function post(data: ServiceWorker.Incoming.Packet): Promise<void> {
   const clients = await self.clients.matchAll();
   const client = clients[0];
   client.postMessage(data);
 }
 
-const waitingFor = new Map<string, (packet: ServiceWorkerPacket) => void>();
+const waitingFor = new Map<string, (packet: ServiceWorker.Outgoing.DataPacket) => void>();
 
-async function requestContents(path: string): Promise<Response> {
-  let resolve!: (packet: ServiceWorkerPacket) => void;
-  const promise = new Promise<ServiceWorkerPacket>((res) => {
-    resolve = res;
+async function requestAndAwaitAck(
+  packet: ServiceWorker.Incoming.PathPacket,
+): Promise<ServiceWorker.Outgoing.DataPacket> {
+  return new Promise<ServiceWorker.Outgoing.DataPacket>((resolve) => {
+    waitingFor.set(packet.path, resolve);
+    void post(packet);
   });
-  await post(path);
+}
+
+let validPathPrefixes: string[] | null;
+
+self.addEventListener('message', (event) => {
+  const packet: ServiceWorker.Outgoing.Packet = event.data;
+
+  if (packet.type === 'ValidPathPrefixes') {
+    validPathPrefixes = packet.validPathPrefixes;
+
+    void storeInCache(validPathPrefixesCacheKey, validPathPrefixes);
+  } else {
+    waitingFor.get(packet.path)?.(packet);
+    waitingFor.delete(packet.path);
+  }
+});
 
-  waitingFor.set(path, resolve);
+async function requestContents(path: string): Promise<Response> {
+  const { data } = await requestAndAwaitAck({ type: 'Path', path });
 
-  const { data } = await promise;
   if (!data) {
     return new Response(null, { status: 404 });
   }
@@ -54,32 +94,19 @@ async function requestContents(path: string): Promise<Response> {
   });
 }
 
-let validPathPrefixes: string[] | undefined;
+async function respond(event: FetchEvent): Promise<Response> {
+  const { request } = event;
+  const path = decodeURI(new URL(request.url).pathname);
 
-self.addEventListener('message', (event) => {
-  if (Array.isArray(event.data)) {
-    validPathPrefixes = event.data;
+  validPathPrefixes ??= await getFromCache<string[]>(validPathPrefixesCacheKey);
+
+  if (validPathPrefixes?.some((pathPrefix) => path.startsWith(pathPrefix))) {
+    return requestContents(path);
   } else {
-    const packet: ServiceWorkerPacket = event.data;
-    const resolve = waitingFor.get(packet.path)!;
-    resolve(packet);
-    waitingFor.delete(packet.path);
+    return fetch(request);
   }
-});
+}
 
 self.addEventListener('fetch', (event: FetchEvent) => {
-  if (!validPathPrefixes) {
-    return;
-  }
-
-  const { request } = event;
-  const path = decodeURI(new URL(request.url).pathname);
-
-  if (
-    validPathPrefixes.some(
-      (pathPrefix) => path.length > pathPrefix.length && path.startsWith(pathPrefix),
-    )
-  ) {
-    event.respondWith(requestContents(path));
-  }
+  event.respondWith(respond(event));
 });